Explore the Holy City of Lhasa & journey
overland to Mt. Kailash & Lake Manasorovar
Best Season : May – October
Mt. Kailash, at 6714 m also known
as Tise, Kailasa & Kang Rinpoche(Jewel of
the Snows), has since time immemorial been celebrated
in many Eastern cosmologies as Mt. Meru, the
axis mundi. And as the center of the physical
& metaphysical universe, Mt. Meru is sacred
to the Buddhist, Jains, the Hindus & the
Bonpos. For the Hindus, the mountain represents
the seat of Lord Shiva; for the Buddhists, a
terrestrial projection of the cosmic mandala
of Dhyani-Buddhas & Boddhisatvas….The
Wheel of Life; for the
Bonpos, Kailash was the sacred nine storey Swastika
Mountain, upon which the Bonpo founder Sherab
alighted from heaven. Four of the great rivers
of the Indian subcontinent originates from here:
the Karnali, which feeds into the Ganges (south);
the Indus (north); the Sutlez (west) & the
Brahmaputra (Yarlung Tsangpo, east).
Rhino Travel Agency offers special
trips to Mt. Kailash & Lake Manasorovar
to facilitate pilgrims & foreign tourists.
We are probably one of the few outfits that
provide Nepali Sherpa staff support for all
of our treks in Tibet so as to ensure similar
high quality trek services that exist in Nepal.
All trips are planned to arrive at Kailash on
a full-moon day to obtain total & unhindered
view of the holy mountain.
Day 01 : KATHMANDU-LHASA
(3650 M), 90 KMS
Transfer to airport to connect CA 408 KTM-LXA
flight. Upon arrival you will be met by our
Tibet representative and transfer to Kyichu
Hotel.
DAYS 02-03 : Lhasa
We will have two full days in Lhasa to make
excursions to the following places:
The Jokhang-The Jokhang is the principal and
holiest Buddhist temple in Lhasa, as well as
all of Tibet. It is the focus of devotion of
hundreds of Tibetans from near and far who circle
it to gain spiritual merit. The Jokhang was
first constructed in the 7th century and has
a large gold image of Sakyamuni Buddha.
Sera and Drepung-Sera, founded
in 1419, is a monastery of the Gelugpa order.
Its many white buildings sit at the base of
a rocky hill. Gilded, bell-shaped gyamtschens
grace the roofs of many of the larger buildings.
Drepung used to have 8,000 monks who were taught
in the traditions of Vajrayana, Mahayana, and
Sutrayana, the three vehicles of Tibetan Buddhism.
Potala Palace-The 13-story Potala
Palace is reputed to contain 1,000 rooms and
hundreds upon hundreds of brilliant thangkas,
frescoes, and images built in an era when religious
art was created anonymously as a means of gaining
merit for future lives. It's one of the world's
most extraordinary buildings and completely
covers the mountain it stands upon.
DAY 04 : LHASA-GYANGTSE
(3990 M), 275 KMS, 8-9 HRS
Drive via Yamdrok, the Turquoise Lake to Gyangtse
across Kampa la pass 5050 m and Karo la (5045
m)passes. Visit Kubum stupa and Pelkor Chode
Monastery.
DAY 05 : GYANGTSE-SHALU-SHIGATSE
(3860 M), 90 KMS, 2 HRS
Drive to Shigatse. En route visit Shalu Monastery.
Visit Tashilhunpo Monastery, the seat of Panchen
Lama who is the 2nd in the Buddhist religious
hierachy and Shigatse Market.
DAY 06 : SHIGATSE-NGAMRING
(5220 M), 160 KMS, 6-7 HRS
Drive to Ngamring. En route visit Sakya Monastery.
DAY 07 : SAGA, 4280 M,
190 KMS , 7-8 HRS
The road follows south of the Pelgu-Tso, continues
across the plain with stunning Himalayan views.
The route then follows a narrow gorge before
climbing to a pass and dropping steeply down
to a ferry crossing over the Yarlung Tsangpo.
DAY 08 : PARYANG, 4750
M, 250 KMS, 8-9 HRS
From Saga it is 145 km to Zhongba. The road
is good and the trip can be completed in 4-5
hrs. There is also a small monastery at the
western end of town on a hill. From Zhongba
onwards the southern road deteriorates. There
is also danger of vehicles getting stuck. But
this section of the road has panoramic views
of mountains on either side of the road.
DAY 09 : LAKE MANASOROVAR,
4560 M, 260 KMS, 10 HRS
From Paryang to Lake Mansorovar is a long drive
of 10 hrs or more. There will be several river
crossings and we drive past Mayum la pass (4600
M). The scenery is stunningly beautiful with
panoramic views of the Himalayas.
DAY 10 : DARCHEN (4560
M), 30 KM
About 30 kms north of Lake Manasorovar is Darchen,
the main gateway and the village. The monastery
at Darchen, Darchen Gon, is a part of the Drukpa
sect. The two-story monastery structure in the
center of the town serves as a trading post
and shelter for pilgrims. Within the dukhang
assembly hall are new and old thangka paintings
and some statues, the main image being Sakyamuni.
West of the gompa is the Mani Lhakhang that
has a large, new mani prayer wheel. This is
the site where the original old flagpole (a
darchen is a flagpole for prayer flags) of Darchen
was located. When beginning their kora pilgrimage
around Kailash, many pilgrims often circumambulate
the Darchen Gon monastery and the Mani Lhakhang
before setting out.
We organize yaks or ponies for
the Kailash circuit trek at Darchen.
DAY 11 : KAILASH CIRCUIT
TREK - DIRAPHUK : (6 hrs)
This Kailash circuit covers 53 kms and can be
done in 3 days. We head west in clockwise direction
and after a few kilometers the trail climbs
up to a cairn at 4730 m from where the southern
face of Mt. Kailash comes to view. En route
visit Tarboche where annual flagpole raising
ceremony takes place during Saga Dawa.
DAY 12 : DIRAPHUK - ZUTRULPHUK
, 4790, 6 hrs
Toady we cross Drolma la pass (5630 M) and Gauri
Kund Lake (5608 m) where Hindus worship and
immerse themselves in the icy waters of the
lake.
DAY 13 : DARCHEN - TIRDAPURI
The final end of the parikrama is an easy 2-3
hrs walk down to where the river emerges on
to the Barga plain. We complete the 3 day circuit
trek of Mt. Kailash and drive to Tirdapuri where
there is a hot spring. Pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash
is not complete without visiting Tirdapuri for
the Tibetan Buddhists.
DAY 14 : TIRDAPURI - KHOJARNATH
- PURANG
Visit Tirdapuri Monastery and the pilgrim circuit
and drive to Purang. En route visit Khojarnath
Monastery.
DAY 15 - 16 : PURANG-LAKE
MANASOROVAR (Chiu Gompa) and LAKE MANASORVAR
Rest day and excursion around the Lake.
DAY 17 : PARYANG
DAY 18 : SAGA
DAY 19 : NYLAM, CAMP
DAY 20 : Across
Friendship Bridge to Kodari border where you
will be met by our Tibet Travels representative
and driven to Kathmandu.
Trek Includes
